2aHawaii
General Topics => Preparedness and Survival => Topic started by: oldfart on June 29, 2025, 07:33:33 PM
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2014 MRE test :rofl:
Today we have meatballs in marinara sauce
Potatoes au gratin
Kippered beef snack
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The beef snack was like crappy beef jerky
For dinner, I tried to use the chemical heater but it didn't get hot. So I microwaved it.
The Potatoes were not bad.
The meatballs were not bad but it left a greasy feeling on my tongue. Stay tuned for the rest of the package.
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Today I tried the tortilla with jalapeños cheese sauce as a light lunch. Considering that it's 11 years old, it wasn't too bad. The tortillas looked browner than expected but tasted fine. The cheese spread looked more like peanut butter than cheese. It did not taste very "cheesey" and it was only mildly spicy.
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Excuse if I sound naive but are your MRE's Military issue or the commercial type?
Not sure what the shelf life are on both of them but you are very brave besides adventurous. :shaka:
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Any stomach discomfort or shits?
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Excuse if I sound naive but are your MRE's Military issue or the commercial type?
Not sure what the shelf life are on both of them but you are very brave besides adventurous. :shaka:
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Genuine military stuff from 2014.
I got newer cases now, so I figure I might as well use them and share the results with you folks. Not too thrilled at trying the vegetarian bags. 🤣
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Any stomach discomfort or shits?
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I'll tell you about it when I get out of the hospital. 🤣🤣
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Just kidding.
No ill effects.
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I'll tell you about it when I get out of the hospital. 🤣🤣
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Just kidding.
No ill effects.
Hows the flavor? Like did you find it more bland than normal, sour, etc...
I've heard you can use MRE"s for many years past their XP date, they just may not taste as good.
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Hows the flavor? Like did you find it more bland than normal, sour, etc...
I've heard you can use MRE"s for many years past their XP date, they just may not taste as good.
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Flavors were average to my tongue. I don't think they have an expiration date, per se.
The snack stuff is great...stay tuned for the next post.
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Also included in this bag was a nutrition bar that is pretty good and some drink mix that is something like fruit punch.
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In the 80's we had C-Rations then converted to MRE's.
There were two C-Rations I really liked. One was an egg concoction that looked like vomit (really) but it was really good. Just didn't look good. The other was canned tuna that came with crackers. Simple but really good.
For the life of me I can't remember if there was anything I liked about the MRE's. I think the turkey a la king was probably the best one. It also looked like vomit. But it tasted pretty good.
I also can't remember all the "extras" that came with both. Besides the salt, pepper, and coffee, I think the C-Rations had toilet paper, matches, and chiclets.
But one thing for sure. Both was never designed to fill you up. It was just enough to keep you going.
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There was also instant coffee with a bag to prep it in. Condiments include creamer, Splenda, salt, and chewing gum.
Also a spoon, moist towelette, and toilet paper
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There was also instant coffee with a bag to prep it in. Condiments include creamer, Splenda, salt, and chewing gum.
Also a spoon, moist towelette, and toilet paper
There was a guy in our platoon who was a Mormon. He would always tell us if we don't want these items give it to him.
He always tells us the preparation requirements that the Mormons place on every member.
I always kept the matches that used to come with the C-Rations. I don't smoke but back then I loved to make backyard BBQ.
My wife's sister's husband used to always ask if I had matches back then and I told him no, I don't...... ::)
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There was a guy in our platoon who was a Mormon. He would always tell us if we don't want these items give it to him.
He always tells us the preparation requirements that the Mormons place on every member.
I always kept the matches that used to come with the C-Rations. I don't smoke but back then I loved to make backyard BBQ.
My wife's sister's husband used to always ask if I had matches back then and I told him no, I don't...... ::)
My uncle would have told him, "Yeah, i've got a match. My butt and your face!"
:geekdanc: :rofl:
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1 MRE youtube channel I enjoy is SteveMRE1989. He reivews now only US ones, but older ones even going back to WW1 and international MRE's. So it's cool to see the differences.
He even eats them as long as they still look good. And I assume he hasn't gotten sick. Seen him eating MRE's from the 80's.
The accessory packs are always my fav as it's cool to see what you will get. What flavor beverage, seasonings, etc...
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Old MREs are safe to eat as long as the packaging is intact. The taste, texture and appearance will change.
The heaters go dead soon after expiring. M&Ms and Skittles get discolored. Powdered stuff cakes up. Cheese turns into an unappealing muck.
Wish I got the freeze dried fruits. Those probably last forever.
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This week I will try Beef stew.
I just noticed that this was packaged in Evansville, Indiana.
Trivia....during WW2, Evansville Chrysler was commissioned to produce 45acp ammunition. That plant produced millions of rounds PER DAY. They typically had steel cases, not brass.
Brass was in short supply at the time. Typical headstamp is EC43. (Evansville Chrysler 1943) I had shot some a few years ago and it was absolutely reliable.
Pic of the MRE...
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Can u post pics of the meals?
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Can u post pics of the meals?
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Sure....this pack was a little different than the other one. This pack had the food in a clear plastic bag within the usual brown plastic bag.
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7.14.25
Here is a list of items in this pack...
Beef stew
Multigrain snack bread
Peanut butter
Apple jelly
Chocolate hazelnut cocoa mix
Chocolate MM candy
Dry roasted peanuts
Honey mustard pretzels
Lemonade drink mix
The usual condiments
Chemical heater.
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7.14.25
Here is a list of items in this pack...
Beef stew
Multigrain snack bread
Peanut butter
Apple jelly
Chocolate hazelnut cocoa mix
Chocolate MM candy
Dry roasted peanuts
Honey mustard pretzels
Lemonade drink mix
The usual condiments
Chemical heater.
I meant of the actual beef stew/main entrees.
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I meant of the actual beef stew/main entrees.
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I'm having this for dinner, and it's not bad.
Once again, the chemical heater failed so I microwaved it.
It contains hamburger, potato, peas, and carrots.
It doesn't taste 11 years old.
I want to eat it with rice, but I won't.
Tomorrow, I'll have the bread with peanut butter and jelly with the hot cocoa for breakfast.
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I just had the bread with peanut butter and jelly with hot hazelnut cocoa and mm candy.
The bread was terribly dry.
The cocoa had a funny smell.
The candy was a little stale.
Overall, everything was ok to eat considering that it was 11 years old. In a SHTF situation, I would be happy to have it.
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I just had the bread with peanut butter and jelly with hot hazelnut cocoa and mm candy.
The bread was terribly dry.
The cocoa had a funny smell.
The candy was a little stale.
Overall, everything was ok to eat considering that it was 11 years old. In a SHTF situation, I would be happy to have it.
This is what MRE's bring when SHTF, variety. Not only the main,but the sides they come with. Compared to Mountain House or like entree's taht are just mains.Even with different mains, they get old very quickly due to no sides.
I new a guy during OIF and everytime he left the FOB, he would have just a MRE entree in his pocket. His thinking is that you never know when you will be separated from your vehicle and need food. He didn't carry the entire MRE due to the added weight, a single entree was good enough. Ounces=pounds.
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...and finally, the honey mustard pretzels and peanuts actually tasted fresh. Pretty amazing for 11 years..
I'm going to finish those with a cold beer.
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I am going to start making my own long term survival food with stuff I like to eat. I finally broke down and ordered a Harvest Right med size freeze dryer from Home Depot. With 2 years 0% interest, I couldn't pass it up. It was something I wanted for a long time. It should be here by the end of the month.
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Part of that MRE was a bag of chocolate MMs.
The best by date was 10-2015
:rofl: :rofl:
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I was going to pick up Chinese food but got too lazy to drive. So here is another MRE report.
Today's meal is an 11 year old "vegetarian Taco pasta".
It looked like Hamburger pasta so I checked the ingredients. It said "vegetarian sausage ".
Tasted pretty good. Just a little spicy. The fake meat had me fooled for a while.
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7.21.25
I'm having more of that MRE for breakfast.
Cracker
Peanut butter
Vanilla cappuccino
Keep in mind that this stuff is 11 years old.
The cracker was still crispy, albeit a little stale.
The peanut butter still looked good. It stuck to the roof of my mouth like peanut butter should.
The coffee thing was ok but kind of tasteless.
...more to come
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Have you tried adding rice to the meals? My school used to serve chicken nuggets with rice and it was good. Went to McDonalds years later and got McNuggets and took it home to eat with rice. It doesn't jive. Since then, I could no logger eat McNuggets.
Years later, I did teh same with beef jerky figuring steak and rice is what I eat all the time. Since then, I could no longer eat beef jerky.
So adding rice to say the beef stew would be interesting. Def not veg taco.
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Have you tried adding rice to the meals? My school used to serve chicken nuggets with rice and it was good. Went to McDonalds years later and got McNuggets and took it home to eat with rice. It doesn't jive. Since then, I could no logger eat McNuggets.
Years later, I did teh same with beef jerky figuring steak and rice is what I eat all the time. Since then, I could no longer eat beef jerky.
So adding rice to say the beef stew would be interesting. Def not veg taco.
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Adding rice would be awesome, but it would ruin the integrity of the taste test.
It would work even with the vegetarian thing because it looked like hamburger.
coming up next is the taste test of the chocolate chip cookie and applesauce from this package
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Yummy 11 yr old Applesauce-raspberry.
Not much to look at but the taste was ok.
Kind of sweet.
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Yummy 11 yr old Applesauce-raspberry.
Not much to look at but the taste was ok.
Kind of sweet.
Was the texture like apple sauce? I'm wondering if the XP also has a factor for consistancy. LIke it turned to water type thinness.
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Was the texture like apple sauce? I'm wondering if the XP also has a factor for consistancy. LIke it turned to water type thinness.
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Texture was ok. Color was ugly. Taste was good. I'm sssttilll aalliivve wwiitthh nooo ppprroobbllemmzzz :rofl:
I still have a chocolate chip cookie and an 11 year old package of Twizzlers left.
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Texture was ok. Color was ugly. Taste was good. I'm sssttilll aalliivve wwiitthh nooo ppprroobbllemmzzz :rofl:
I still have a chocolate chip cookie and an 11 year old package of Twizzlers left.
I bought a 1 month XP Red Vines in the 90s form Longs. It wasn't chewy at all, but broke apart like the T-1000 when frozen. I wrote a letter to the company (red vines) and they sent me a case of red vines, licorice, and some new berry bites. The XP date isn't easy to read if you don't know what to look for at the time. LMK about the Twizzlers.
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Finally, the chocolate chip cookie and twizzler.
The cookie crumbled easily but tasted great. No stale taste.
Just a little dry, so I ate it with milk.
The twizzler was also fine.
Hard to believe these were 11 years old.
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Bonus ...
I found a tortilla mre with a date of 2016 on it. I guess that would make it around 10 years old.
I put some chicken and cheese in it.
It tasted a little sweet. It was pretty good.
Not sure where this came from.
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I'd be a little worried at that age. I tried some old ones I had and they smelled rancid which isn't good for you. I am curious how the taste has changed over the years, I haven't tried any in a decade.
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I'd be a little worried at that age. I tried some old ones I had and they smelled rancid which isn't good for you. I am curious how the taste has changed over the years, I haven't tried any in a decade.
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This is the whole purpose of this thread....emergency preps and survival.
Generally, most everything I've tried was fine.
The only item that I didn't eat was a bag of mm candy.
The peanuts tasted stale, but I didn't get sick in any way.
What have I learned from this experiment?
If you keep MREs as an emergency food supply, you'll be in pretty good shape.
But I would rotate your supply about every 5 to 10 years.
The chemical heaters in these packs fail when they get old.
Rotating your supply is a good practice run to familiarize you and your family with emergency preparations.
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This is the whole purpose of this thread....emergency preps and survival.
Generally, most everything I've tried was fine.
The only item that I didn't eat was a bag of mm candy.
The peanuts tasted stale, but I didn't get sick in any way.
What have I learned from this experiment?
If you keep MREs as an emergency food supply, you'll be in pretty good shape.
But I would rotate your supply about every 5 to 10 years.
The chemical heaters in these packs fail when they get old.
Rotating your supply is a good practice run to familiarize you and your family with emergency preparations.
I tossed out my MREs and have Mountain House freeze dried stuff as my emergency supply. Downside is you need water but the taste is very good. Expensive per serving size though
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Just picked up a dehydrator and vacuum sealer and will try making some diy versions without all the extra poison
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Generally, I think it's best to have a variety of survival foods.
Just in case one collection goes bad.
Ie. I have a costco bucket, canned goods, and mre.
The feature I like about mre is the nutritional balance.
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Just picked up a dehydrator and vacuum sealer and will try making some diy versions without all the extra poison
My son wanted to get a freeze dryer but they are expensive. Maybe it would pay for itself in the long run. He just wanted to make the fancy candies though
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My son wanted to get a freeze dryer but they are expensive. Maybe it would pay for itself in the long run. He just wanted to make the fancy candies though
In other words, you don't mind all the extra poisons as long as the product is cheap. :geekdanc:
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In other words, you don't mind all the extra poisons as long as the product is cheap. :geekdanc:
Is buying an expensive freeze dryer the only way to avoid "poisons"? Any other non-sequiturs you wish to start a pointless fight over?
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Is buying an expensive freeze dryer the only way to avoid "poisons"? Any other non-sequiturs you wish to start a pointless fight over?
You didn't bother to offer a single source of cheap products that don't include those poisons.
So, I guess if you don't know of any products that meet the criteria posed, then they must not exist. Therefore, you answered your own snarky question.
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:stopjack: